A charred gaping maw was all that was left of the front door when they eventually made it home.

"I don't hear anything," Caroline said, as they pulled to a stop on the gravel driveway.

Klaus's eyes narrowed. "This is Esther's doing," he said, before blurring inside.

Caroline followed him, hearing him curse upstairs as he pushed open the bedroom doors. How had she managed to do this in such a short time? The foyer was littered with bodies, the spilt blood sending her newly heightened senses into a tailspin. She spied Maddox at the foot of the stairs, his neck at an awkward angle that he couldn't have possibly survived. Caroline bit her lip; she and Maddox hadn't been friends but he had been loyal to Klaus. There was no way he would go down easy

"They're all gone," Klaus said, descending the stairs. . "My siblings, the doppelganger and the witch, she must have found a way to subdue them." His voice was calm but his eyes were yellow.

Caroline felt the tension she didn't know she was holding relax inside her. If they weren't here, chances were they weren't dead. "She must need them for something," she said aloud. "How did she take Elena from the premises? She was compelled."

"Magic," Klaus said succinctly. "What else?"

Caroline nodded. "And she must have used magic to take out your siblings too."

Klaus looked at her sharply before blurring towards the study and Caroline followed him. A painting had been ripped from the wall, and the safetybox box behind it breached. "Mother's Grimoire has been taken," he said. "And so have the daggers."

Well that explained how she's been able to take down Elijah, Kol, and Rebekah, especially as she had Finn helping her. "How long do you think it's been?" she asked.

"Not long," he growled. "A couple of hours at most. This is my fault, we should not have dallied in the woods."

Caroline shook her head. "No, she would just have waited for another time if you were here," she said. "She always intended to use the daggers to get the upper hand and they don't work on you." She bit her lip. "Do you think she's trying to lure you in?"

"Almost certainly," Klaus said. "She wants to kill us,and she won't want to leave any stragglers behind."

Caroline shook her head as she stepped over the splintered remains of the chaise longue, "Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think your mother is going to all this bother just to kill you," she said. "You Mom is a lying conniving power hungry bitch,who basically did whatever she wanted all her life, and let you and your siblings pay the price for it."

Klaus smirked, despite himself. "Please, tell me how you really feel about my mother."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "What I'm asking is, what's in it for her? There has to be something. I'm really not buying all this for the better good crap."

Klaus looked at her thoughtfully. "You may be right, love, but does it really matter? She holds all the cards. For better or for worse, this is her game now." he strutted out of the study purposefully and Caroline followed him.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"We both know where she is, love. Change quickly and arm yourself, we're going after them."

They were both ready in five minutes, neither of them bothering with niceties. She had changed into fresh underwear and thrown on a sundress and denim jacket, pushing her feet into a pair of flat ankle boots. Klaus had also stuck with the basics - jeans and a Henley.

"Let's go," Klaus said, and Caroline followed him out of the house.

There was really only one place to look - the Lockwood place. Esther and her followers may have scattered the last time they'd been there but where else would they be able to congregate undetected?.

An engine would be a dead giveaway, so they both decided to approach on foot

"She's waiting for us," Caroline murmured, hunkering down beside him as they eyed the Lockwood lawn from their hiding spot.

Klaus didn't answer, his sharp eyes taking in the scene before him. Esther has somehow found hundreds of reinforcements and has spread them in a barrier circle around the ritual space they'd set up on the grass . Some were werewolves and vampires, and there were even a good few human hunters. A pyre rose above their heads and Elena was tied to it, sobbing. Esther had cut her open and the scent of doppelganger blood permeated the air.

The chanting sounded like Aramaic, which Caroline had heard Bonnie use in her magic, but it wasn't Bonnie chanting, it was Abby. Caroline frowned, it didn't make sense. Abby didn't have any magical ability anymore.

Klaus clasped her hand and stood, pulling her up with him, and stepped into view. The milling crowd parted like a silent sea as they approached, revealing a salt circle within, the pyre situated at its center.

Caroline had seen many things in her young life, but this took things to a new level. Underneath Elena, the daggered Originals - including Finn - were packed into the tinder at the base of the pyre, and a hunter stood beside it with a flaming torch in her hands.

At the foot of the pyre, Esther was smiling beatifically at Abby, who was on her knees and crouched over Bonnie's still form. The Original witch's face was decorated in runes painted on with Elena's blood, and she held a Goblet and the Moonstone in her hands.

It took her a few moments for it all to sink in. There was blood seeping into the grass from a gaping wound in Bonnie's chest and Abby had her hand rammed in there, like she was trying to dig out her heart.

"Oh my God," Caroline gasped out. "What are you doing to her?

"You've tainted her," Abby said, almost drunkenly. "My Bonnie would have understood, my Bonnie would have completed the ritual." Rivulets of glowing light streamed up her blood stained arm and into her, Her eyes were embers and her hair was whitening in front of her eyes.

"You'sucking her dry of her magic," Caroline realised aloud.

"We needed a witch from the Qetsiyah line to perform the ritual,"Esther said gently. "And we couldn't have Bonnie do it, could we? Divided loyalties and all that. No, this is for the best. Abby knows what needs to be done. She is deserving of the power."

Dazedly, Caroline tried to make sense of what she was seeing. What the hell was going on here?

Deserving of the power...

Suddenly, it clicked, and Caroline snorted back the impulse to laugh. It might sound a little too much like hysteria. She eyed the crowd around them, the grim expression on their faces. This could go very badly, very fast.

This was a power grab. It wasn't enough for Esther to become merely an Original, she wanted to be an Original with the power of millennia in her grip. The urge to run was almost overwhelming, but if she did, Bonnie, Elena and Klaus would die.

Of course, if she stayed, they were all probably just going to die together. .

Esther must have seen something in her eyes because the gap they'd walked through had sealed itself behind them, leaving them with enemies at their back as well as in front of them.

"Kneel," Esther intoned, and Klaus staggered on his feet beside her. "Heed your blood, Niklaus, kneel for me." And he did, his knees hitting the damp morning grass with a thud.

"It was in the tea,"Elena sobbed from above. "Her blood was in the tea."

"Tea that you drank as well, my dear," Esther said. "You're of Klaus's bloodline, yes?" Kneel, Caroline."

It was a split moment's decision, and Caroline took it. She sped across the grass and grabbed Abby's jaw, bit into her wrist and forced her blood down the witch's throat as she struggled in her grip.

"Kill her," Esther hissed, and Caroline felt herself pulled from Abby before she could snap her neck. Hands pawed at her, dragging her to the ground, and Caroline thought she heard Klaus call out her name but it was too late.

The stake slicing into her chest extinguished everything in a moment.

There was no way to know how long she'd been dead, but coming back to life was still one of the most torturous experiences of her life, especially as her body hadn't completely expelled the stake yet. Caroline took a painful breath and braced herself before pulling the stake free and letting it fall onto the grass. She could barely breathe, never mind move, and she tried to bite back a whimper of pain as she waited for her wounds to heal.

The sky above was glowering and dark and swirling like a witch's cauldron, and jagged bolts of lightning struck the earth, singing the air with the smell of ozone. Aramaic sounded through the air. Abby was completing the spell.

She could hear something else, too, a heartbeat. It was sluggish and dying but it was still there. Caroline tilted her head to the side and noticed Bonnie's prone body beside her. She'd been left for dead and tossed out of the circle, like Caroline.

Tears of fear and pain seeped from the edges of Bonnie's eyes, and she gulped dryly, and Caroline bit back a sob of her own. Her lungs had stopped working and shock was setting in. Abby hadn't even attempted to heal her after draining her of her magic.

Caroline struggled to sit up, biting back a scream. Her heart had healed itself but her chest cavity was still in shreds. Her mind reeled, there had to be a way to stop this, there had to be a way to win.

Esther groupies were now on the knees, staring up at the pyre. Elena was screaming and flames flickered at the bottom of the pyre. Fire couldn't kill an original, but it would kill Elena. Abby and Esther stood, hand in hand, in front of the pyre and the moonstone in Esther's hand shone like a star. Caroline knew she couldn't let this spell some to its end. She would kill Klaus and his siblings, she just knew it, and then she would hunt her down.

She bit into her wrist and leaned over Bonnie, dripping her blood into her mouth. Fear bled into her friends eyes, and Caroline tried not to let it sting. She knew Bonnie's connection to her magic was important to her. She leaned in, and took her hand as the wounds in both their chests healed, not letting go until Bonnie took in a new, rattling breath. .

"Care," Bonnie gasped out, "Break the circle."

Caroline took in a long breath. Could she do it? She looked at the blank faces of the groupies, they looked out of it, maybe even compelled. The work of Esther or Finn? It didn't matter, Caroline realised, what mattered was it might give her a fighting chance.

She ran, blurring and leaping over Esther's followers. A shiver of startlement ran through the crowd, and some of them began to stagger to their feet. Not compulsion then. Her foot darted out, breaking the line of salt, and a wave of power hit her like a sonic boom, flattening her. Esther and Abby turned to look at her, their eyes glowing like something out of a bad horror film and she looked around, trying to find Klaus. Eventually she spotted him through the smoke and fire, grey faced but eyes open. He must be in agony. Elena had gone quiet, too quiet. She couldn't hear her heart anymore. She squeezed a fist, she couldn't let it get to her at the moment.

"Why are you still alive?" Esther demanded. There was a strange vibration to her voice, like she was trying to hold something inside her that didn't belong. Beside her, Abby still chanted, and the swirling clouds above grew darker. Why hadn't breaking the circle worked?

She got her feet and smiled. Time to play a part. "You're predictable," she taunted. "Klaus took precautions."

"Is that so?" Esther said. "Then why is my son dying at my hand?"

Caroline snorted, at least she's stopped the mother of the year act. The crowd were on their feet again, as if waiting for her command, and Caroline knew she had to be fast. If she went down again, she wouldn't awaken again. Esther would make sure of it.

She made a feint, as if she was heading for Klaus, and then swerved at the last moment and rammed her hand into Abby's chest, ripping her heart out. Abby Bennett fell as if her strings were cut.

Esther snarled, holding up the moonstone before her. "You will pay for that!"

"Oh crap," Caroline thought, as a beam of light hit her smack in the middle of the chest and sent her flying.

"You think you can beat me, girl," Esther snarled. "You're nothing. Abby Bennett was convenient but she isn't the only Bennet witch left. I will win." The crowd lurched forward, grasping at her arms and legs, and Caroline bit back a sob of fear.

Aramiac words lifted over the grumbling crowd and Esther screamed, staggering on her feet. Bonnie was standing, a hand stretched out and a look of pure rage on her face. Killing Abby must have restored Bonnie's magic.

With a burst of energy, Caroline pulled free and ran for the pyre. Snatching the daggers from Kol and then Elijah before dragging Klaus from the fire. His skin was blackened but he was still aware. She bit into her wrist and held it over his mouth, wincing as he pulled it closer and bit down. Pleasure and pain ripped through her as he fed. At least he was able to move again.

The tinder crackled as Elijah and Kol pulled themselves from the fire and undaggered Rebekah. Esther was still on her knees, unable to shake off whatever Bonnie was doing to her.

Klaus's fangs released her and they rose together. The ritual had turned into a battlefield, as Elijah, Rebekah and Kol ripped through the crowd. The vampires were trying to fight back, but the werewolves and humans were making a run for it. Esther was getting back on her feet, a stream of unrecognisable words coming from her lips. Klaus snarled and blurred forward, ripping the moonstone from her grasp and crushing it into powder in his hands.

"Good bye, mother," he said, and snapped her neck.

She fell with a soft thud on the grass.

They'd won.

It didn't feel like it, though.

Klaus and his siblings were hunting Esther's followers and screams were emanating from the house; cries of terror, and pleadings for mercy. Caroline felt her fangs lengthen at the sound.

"They're killing them all," Bonnie said softly.

"Yes, Caroline said. "I should join them or they'll be none left for me." Bonnie gave her a sharp look, and Caroline shrugged. "What? You were expecting me to rush in there and tell them to stop?" she couldn't keep the edge of mockery out of her voice.

"No, I suppose not," Bonnie said reluctantly. "How the hell did we end up here?"

"The Salvatore Brothers came to town and instead of thinking how creepy it was. to have a couple of Civil War vampires salivating over a highschool teenager, we let Twilight rot our brains and destroy whatever reasoning skills we had."

Bonnie let out a snort of almost laughter. "You realise that Klaus is even older, right?"

Caroline smirked. "Yeah, but Klaus never hid the fact he was a pervert."

"Ew," Bonnie said, wrinkling her nose.. "I didn't need to hear that."

Bonnie stared back at the pyre, and Elena's body slumped against the bindings. Caroline felt her heart clench. She had tried so hard to keep Elena alive but it was all for nothing. Maybe she was always destined to die like this. Caroline frowned slightly, realising that something was missing from this picture. Where was Katherine?

"We should cut her down," Bonnie said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Soon," Caroline agreed. "But we should clear out Esther's followers first. She glanced at the still form of Bonnie's mother lying a few feet away. "She's going to awaken soon. You shouldn't be here when it happens"

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," Bonnie said, before hesitating. She slowly turned towards her. "I love you, Care, you gotta know that." There was a sadness in her eyes.

"I sense a but coming," Caroline said, and Bonnie sighed.

"This can't go on, Care," she admitted. "You're tearing me apart. I should hate you, but…"

Caroline smiled sadly. "It's okay, Bonnie, I understand. We'll be leaving tomorrow."

Bonnie nodded. "That would be best." She leaned down and picked up a bloodied stake from the grass. The one Esther used to stake her in the back. Caroline understood what was about to happen as Bonnie slowly walked across the grass towards her mother, and quickly turned on her heels, walking towards the house.

The sound of Bonnie's sobs fed her hunger as she joined the slaughter.

The house was covered in carnage by the time Klaus's blood lust lifted, and he let the dead hunter slip from his fingers as he gazed around. Elijah had a werewolf pinned against a wall, his fangs buried deep in its veins, and he could hear Rebekah upstairs having some fun with a couple of hunters that involved a healthy dose of compulsion and a really sharp blade. He couldn't sense Kol at all, which made him suspect he'd gone hunting in the woods, while Caroline….

Caroline was in the dining room, dining.

The Hunter was splayed across the table like an offering, his eyes rabid with fear as Caroline sat astride him and gorged on his blood. His fingers twitched desperately against the flat of the table as he tried to battle against Caroline's compulsion, but Klaus knew it was in vain. A whimper came from the other end of the dining room table, and Klaus smiled at the three hunters sitting up stiffly in their chairs, waiting for their turn.

His lover was quite the little menace.

"Enjoying yourself, love?" he asked.

Caroline straightened and smiled, a beautiful monster painted in blood. "Immensely," she said, snapping the Hunters neck. She turned to the trio and crooked a finger at the one closest to her. He rose shakily and walked towards her.

"Take your little friend to the pile," she said, compulsion making it a command . "And then come straight back for your turn."

Klaus watched, fascinated, as the hunter shouldered the corpse and heaved it across the room, dumping it onto a neat little pile of bodies. "You've been busy."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," Caroline said, with a grim smile, as the Hunter shuffled back. "They're going to be waking up soon. I'm going to let them loose in the woods to chase down whoever's left."

The fluid ease with which she struck the next hunter was a sight to behold, This time, she didn't bother to compel her meal to be still, but merely held him in a vice grip as he struggled while she tore straight into his carotid artery. He was dead within the minute and Caroline slipped off the table and smiled at him coyly.

"Want to share the last two?"

Klaus reached out and pulled at a blood soaked curl. "With pleasure Sweetheart."

She crooked a finger at the last two, and Klaus watched as they rose obediently from their chairs, even as they shook with terror. Mercy was not a word that belonged in Caroline's vocabulary anymore, Klaus realised. At least, not when it pertains to those who wished her loved one's harm. .

He bit down and drank deep from Caroline offering, Fear drenched every molecule of his blood, and Klaus felt his blood lust rise again. He gripped the hunter close, and snapped his neck, letting the corpse fall to the ground. Caroline was already licking her lips clean, having disposed of her meal quickly. She must have seen something in his eyes because her smile turned feral.

"Something on your mind, Klaus?"

He spun her around and bent her over the table in answer, and Caroline laughed as his hand roamed over her ass and under her skirt. Her panties were already sopping wet and he ripped them off with a twist before slipping a finger inside her.

."I'm thinking it was on both our minds, Caroline," Klaus taunted. He always enjoyed fingerfucking her as he riled her up. It always guaranteed a very satisfying climax. He curved his finger inside her, applying just enough pressure to make her moan for him. She had been glorious today, a true queen.

He kicked her legs apart, letting her arousal scent the air as he unzipped his trousers, and released his cock, giving it a few tugs before pressing it up against the curve of her ass. She pushed back against him and Klaus relished in the feel of himself hardening against her cheeks as he plunged a second finger inside her, stretching her.

Caroline clawed and gouged into the wood of the table in response. She was already close to toppling over the edge into her first orgasm but he wasn't going to let that happen just yet.

Klaus always loved how she was so feverishly responsive to his touch, he could drag this out for hours or have her screaming his name within minutes, and Klaus was determined to make sure that would never change. He briefly considered pushing his cock into her beautiful ass before deciding that might need a conversation first. Something told him she would enjoy it, though. Her predilection for pain made it somewhat a foregone conclusion.

"What do you want, Caroline," he purred. "Use your words."

"Bastard," she panted, although there was a trace of humour in her voice. "I want to come, Klaus. I want to come on your cock...please."

The last word was tacked on somewhat haphazardly but he decided she should be rewarded all the same. He pulled his fingers free and pushed into her drenched pussy, earning a moan of approval as he sank to the hilt inside her. She clenched around him as he pulled out and slammed back in again, and he shoved her skirt up around her waist so he could gaze down to where their bodies were joined before digging a hand into her hip and holding her still, With a shift of his hips, Klaus thrust back into her at a new angle, enjoying the wail of frustrated lust that came from Caroline's lips as he kept her on the edge of release

"Please Klaus," she panted out desperately, wriggling against his grip. "Fuck me harder."

Klaus's lips stretched into a grin as he leaned forward, snagging her bloodied hair in his fingers and pulled. "It's Nik, Love," he said, "Please, Nik, fuck me harder."

She let out a hoarse cry as he thrust deeper, her entire body tensing up like a bow underneath him as he slammed into her cervix. .

"Oh God," she bit out. "Yes, Nik, fuck me like that."

"Good girl," he said approvingly, and drove into her in earnest, relishing in the way she seized up under him. He gave her hair another tug, diving for her neck as she obediently arched her back, and lost himself in the rich sensation of her blood as she quaked around him, milking his cock as something inside her got free and she cried out his name like a mantra.

"Yes, Nik, don't stop….fuck, Nik, Nik, oh God, Nik I love you so much, fuck me, fuck me."

He let out a strangled groan as he shuddered and came inside her, his triumph singing inside his veins as she bowed and buckled in ecstasy underneath him .It had come unbidden, while she was coming around his cock, but this was Caroline so it meant something.

She was his.

And he was never going to let her go.

TBC